Serves 6 to 8
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 15 minutes
I’m not one of those people who freezes soup, although I do occasionally try to be one of those people, and then find the poor victim in the back of the freezer way too late. To avoid that tragedy, I’m usually simmering up a pot a few times a week, and there is almost always a lentil variety in the mix. It’s flexible and easy and takes to new flavors like a champ, so I’m always tinkering.
I rendevous with all manner of lentil; de puy, black lentils, red, you name it. But I always come back to the basic, dependable and oh-so-flavorful brown lentil. It’s my little black dress. And they’re like, what, $1.50 a pound, even for organic? That’s lentils for weeks, my friends.
This week, I had a windfall of smoked paprika. It’s one of those spices I love, but they don’t sell it where I usually do my shopping, and if I don’t make a special spice trip, the jar can languish empty for months. So when I picked up a beautiful fragrant baggy, I wanted to make up for lost time and use it in copious amounts. Add to that the scrumptious kalamata olives I had leftover, and some baby spinach that was dying to be used, and there you have it! A lush, flavorful, healthful soup that was just amazing served with a crusty baguette smeared with homemade hummus.
Notes
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
1 cup dried brown lentils (or green lentils)
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1 24 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
4 cups fresh baby spinach (or chopped spinach)
3/4 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives
Directions
Taste for salt, and let sit for 10 minutes or so for flavors to marry, then serve!
I have been having Mediterranean eats of my brain all week. I just bought olives, too, and it sounds wonderful with lentils and spinach. I am totally adding this to my menu this week. Thanks Isa! 🙂
now i know what i’m having for dinner tonight, this looks glorious!
can’t wait to try this! all my favorite things!
Boy, have you been busy lately!!! I love it!! This sounds divine…and I know what I need now at the grocery store…Thanks…and keep ’em comin’. This is great!!! AND..I’m getting ready to make that chickpea tofu you told me about. Tuesday, I think….yum.
Oh cool! Let me know how it comes out. (the cp tofu)
this looks amazing. i love soups. loooove the idea of olives in the soup! I’ve never done that.
I can’t wait to make this, tomorrow. All the ingredients were sitting, at the ready, before I even saw this recipe. It was truly meant to be!
Love when that happens!
This looks like a great dinner! I am trying to incorporate more healthy, low cal vegan dishes to my dinner rotation, and this looks great!
I just polished off a big bowl of this for my dinner. I made it with smoked paprika (not sweet) and it was ridiculously awesome… Especially paired with some big hunks of sourdough bread.
Isa, you’re a genius! Every one of your recipes that I’ve tried has been wonderful.
I would love to see a lentil soup recipe that doesn’t call for onions. Sadly, onions just don’t agree with me.
Just leave out the onions.
I make a soup like this, also adding capers and sun dried tomatoes, sometimes also sweet potatoes, mushrooms… finished with balsamic vinegar. I call it Italian Lentil Soup. So yummy!!
Jeannie, leave out the onions if you don’t want them! This is soup… anything goes!
Okay, I broke down and made it tonight instead of tomorrow…and I’m in BLISS. What an amazing soup.
Thank you for giving me a new version on lentil soup! Brown lentils are still my favorite and I could eat lentil soup everyday.
I was just looking for a soup recipe to use some up wilting spinach. I made this for dinner tonight and it’s amazing! So smoky and delicious. Thanks, Isa!
nice dish..lovely staff!
Oh thank you for sharing this magical remedy for the frigid winter dreary greys! It looks superyumful and perfect with a nice dense rustic Italian bread! Cheers!
It isn’t easy getting hold of fire roasted tomatoes here in the UK. Is there something we can substitute? Maybe sun-dried tomatoes or ordinary tinned tomatoes with liquid smoke?
You can just use tinned tomatoes, no big deal. I’d skip the liquid smoke.
This sounds great! Like you with the freezer, I feel like I always buy lentils in bulk (because they are so cheap), and then they get pushed to the back of my cabinet where they sit there for weeks. I’ve been on the lookout for new lentil recipes to avoid this, so hopefully I can whip this one up soon!
I am one of those people that freezes soup – any soups that don’t freeze well? Tips for freezing/thawing?
I had some leftover Chickpea Rice soup but didn’t think that would freeze ok…
No fire-roasted tomatoes where I live (Mexico)… how can I substitute fresh tomatoes and make them taste like something? Thanks!
I’d just chop em up and toss em in! Maybe a dollop of tomato paste, too.
This sounds like a great soup to enjoy now that spring is finally here and things are starting to warm up. Can’t wait to try it!
This sounds so tasty! Yum!
WOW! I need to make this! Thanks, isa.
Great soup…devoured a huge bowl of it last night! Very filling and easy to make. Thanks!!
Hey, foo’, thanks for all the great recipes. If I knew you for real, I’d bake you cookies as a thank you (“merci beaucookie”-style)
Any thoughts about slow-cookering this? Yeah, I ate my lazy biscuits this morning.
Yum! Made this to tonight and will definitely make it again!
Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
You did it again, I am not ashamed to say between the 2 of us we nearly finished the whole thing.
This was outrageously delicious. Absolutely perfect! Thank you!
Made this last night…it was fantastic! The whole family loved it! Thanks 🙂
……..and now i know what i’m having for supper tonight! i only have fresh dinosaur kale and black lentils, though. i am optimistic it’ll still be fabulous! thanks for what i anticipate will be another stellar soup creation, isa!
Yes Yes very good, no spinach so added chard worked out fantastically.
Another keeper! Had this for dinner tonight, it is absolutely delicious and smells yummy, too!
I just had this for three consecutive (non-breakfast) meals. Dynamite! I will make this again – thank you.
i made this last night…my new favorite! tonight for the second time around i added field roast apple sage vegan sausage to it….a perfect flavor addition to the sweet smoky paprika!
Made this tonight and although it came out a tad on the salty side it still tastes amazing. I’ll cut down the salt next go.
You are genius!
This recipe looks fantastic and I absolutely LOVE the part where I get to crush tomatoes with my hands!
Loved it! Added some kale as well and all of us preferred the added texture.
I made this last night and it is, hands down, my favorite lentil soup now. Thanks, Isa!
Woohoo!
Just made this soup for lunch and ate two bowls. Will probably eat more for dinner… Eating like this has made becoming vegan at 49 easier than I thought it would be! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
I made this tonight for my daughter and myself and it was soooo good!!! I didn’t have smoked paprika, so I used a tablespoon of regular paprika and 2 teaspoons of chipotle powder. it was good and spicy!!! We both agreed it was our new favorite soup!
This is fantastic and will definitely make it again…and again…and again. A keeper!! Just pre-ordered your new cook book on Amazon, can’t wait! Thanks for the great recipes! As someone who is new the being vegan, I am never disappointed in your recipes!
C’est absolument délicieux ! Merci.
Cook this for Maggie
Amazing soup! I made it on Sunday and now I’m sad that it’s all gone. Definitely going to make it into my regular rotation!
I made this last night and cannot stop raving about it. I didn’t have smoked paprika, but it didn’t seem to matter that much.. as I got two big thumbs up from my vegan bf. I also took the advice of previous comments regarding not adding much salt, as the olives lend a lot. Isa, I cannot get over how ALL of your recipes i have made to date are awesome and delish! Thx!
I love the look of this! I’m not sure I can get fire-roasted tomatoes (wilds of North Wales) but a can of peeled ones should work. I’m SO EXCITED to make this /soupvirgin